Pronoun
Pronouns, in grammar and writing are defined as "any member of a small class of words found in language that are used as replacements or substitutes for nouns and noun phrases, and that have very general references. Pronoun. N.p. N.d. Web. 9 March. 2014. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/pronoun Classification Pronouns can be classified into several different categories: personal, possessive, demonstrative, interrogative, relative, indefinite, and reflexive. 'Personal' A personal pronoun refers to a specific person or thing that changes its form to indicate persons, number, and case. What is a Pronoun?. N.p. N.d. Web. 9.March. 2014. http://www.uottawa.ca/academic/arts/writcent/hypergrammar/pronouns.html. 'Possessive' A possessive pronoun is used to indicate that the pronoun is acting as a marker of possession and defines who owns a particular object or person. The possessive pronouns are "yours," "hers," "mine," "his," "ours," "theirs," and "its." What is a Pronoun?. N.p. N.d. Web. 9.March. 2014. http://www.uottawa.ca/academic/arts/writcent/hypergrammar/pronouns.html. Some examples of possessive pronouns used in sentences are: *This is yours. *'His' is on the computer desk. *'Theirs' will come in two weeks. In each sentence the highlighted word acts as the subject of the sentence. 'Demonstrative' Demonstrative pronouns are "this," "that," "these," and "those." "This" and "these" refer to things that are nearby, while "that" and "those" refer to things that are farther away. Demonstrative pronouns are also singular and plural with "this" and "that" being singular nouns and "these" and "those" are plural. It is also important to note that "that" can also be used as a relative pronoun. What is a Pronoun?. N.p. N.d. Web. 9.March. 2014. http://www.uottawa.ca/academic/arts/writcent/hypergrammar/pronouns.html. Examples of Demonstrative Pronouns *'This' must stop. *The customers wanted these. *Go get those from over there. 'Interrogative' Interrogative pronouns are used to ask a question. "The interrogative pronouns are "who," "whom," "which," "what" and are compounded with the suffix "ever" to form ("whoever," "whomever," "whichever," and "whatever"). What is a Pronoun?. N.p. N.d. Web. 9.March. 2014. http://www.uottawa.ca/academic/arts/writcent/hypergrammar/pronouns.html. Some things that are important to note is that "who," "whom," or "which" can also be used as relative pronouns. "Who" can also act as the subject of a verb, while "whom" may act as the object of verb or preposition. You will also find "who," "whom," and sometimes "which" are used to refer to people, and "which" and "what" are sometimes used to refer to things and to animals. Examples of Interrogative Pronouns *'Who' swam the English Channel? *'Whom' do you think we should call? *'What' did he say? *'Which' dog do you like? 'Relative' Relative pronouns are used as links, to connect one phrase or clause to another. The relative pronouns are "who," "whom," "that," and "which." The relative pronouns "who" and "whoever" can be used to refer to the subject of a clause or sentence, while "whom" and "whomever" may be used to refer to the objects of a verb or a preposition. What is a Pronoun?. N.p. N.d. Web. 9.March. 2014. http://www.uottawa.ca/academic/arts/writcent/hypergrammar/pronouns.html. *The candidate who wins the greatest popular vote is not always elected. *'Whoever' broke the window will have to replace it. Notice that in each sentence "who" and "whoever" functions as the subject of the verbs. *You may invite whomever you like to the party. In this sentence the relative pronoun "whomever" is the direct object of the compound verb "may invite." 'Indefinite' An indefinite pronoun is a pronouns that refers to an identifiable, but not specified person or thing. The most common indefinite pronouns are "all," "another," "any," "anybody," "anyone," "anything," "each," "everybody," "everyone," "everything," "few," "many," "nobody," "none," "one," "several," "some," "somebody," and "someone." It should be noted that some indefinite pronouns can be used as indefinite adjectives. What is a Pronoun?. N.p. N.d. Web. 9.March. 2014. http://www.uottawa.ca/academic/arts/writcent/hypergrammar/pronouns.html. 'Reflexive' A reflexive pronoun is used to refer back to the subject of the clause or sentence. The reflexive pronouns are as followed: "myself," "yourself," "herself," "himself," "itself," "ourselves," "yourselves," and "themselves." What is a Pronoun?. N.p. N.d. Web. 9.March. 2014. http://www.uottawa.ca/academic/arts/writcent/hypergrammar/pronouns.html. Examples of Reflexive Pronouns *The Dean often does the photocopying herself so that the secretaries can do more important work. *Diabetics give themselves insulin shots several times a day. Notice how "herself" refers back to the dean, and "themselves" is used to refer back to diabetics. Pronouns and determiners Pronouns and determiners are closely related, and there are clearly identifiable similarities between the two. The table below shows their similarities. Pronominal A pronominal is a phrase that functions as a pronoun. Glossary of linguistic terms: What is a pronominal?. Loos, Eugene. 05. January. 2004., 9. March. 2014. http://www-01.sil.org/linguistics/GlossaryOflinguisticTerms/WhatIsAPronominal.htm For example, in the sentence "That is the one I want", the phrase the one is a pronominal. References